Sendelica - Nirmata

 Fruits de Mer Records (Friends of the Fish 85)

 

This is the next Sendelica album (the first one in many years NOT including me as a guest on synths...) and will see the light of day sometime this Summer. This has a bit different, more positive vibe after the albums about human kind, and there's a good reason for it. I'll let Pete explain himself:

"Well its been quite a year for Colin and myself, Colin surviving his liver cancer and myself, with first of all my heart condition, (Enlarged Heart) and then a further scare at the end of last year when I suddenly became very anaemic which turned out to be a severely inflamed, blocked and bleeding bowel. But out of adversity comes inspiration, as Colin was travelling around Asia we started working on a new Sendelica album remotely, we were joined by Glenda and Lee, who recorded in Cardigan and also by Calli on vocals, Kate Riaz on Cello, and by The Last American Poet, Shane Beck, on spoken word. I used some audio samples of my ultra scan, who knew that heart valves opening & shutting could sound so trippy!, and off course my talking blood pressure monitor at hope, which funnily matched Colins Asian Journey. Colin took some amazing photos on his journey through Asia, some of which feature on the album cover. 'Nirmata' is the sanskrit word for architect / creator, and seemed a fitting title for such a project as we both felt we had come out of a very long tunnel into the light."

So I guess this could be considered as some kind of victory over potential death album. I'm so glad these lovely guys are still with us to make their amazing music! Okay, so what do we have here. Six new, mostly instrumental tracks. Programmed drums, as usual, which is fine. The tracks are shorter than on the previous albums, so no 20-minute epics. Actually it seems to me that these would maybe just fit on on LP, but I'm not sure if they'll end up doing a 2LP anyway for maximum sound quality. "Wish You a Good Health" includes cool samples of Pete's talking blood pressure monitor (I want one too!) and heart valves and is a rather positive, relaxed number in the Spiritualized vein. There's also a short section of spoken word by my constant Astral Magic/Strange Vibrations/Chakra Vimana collaborator Shane Beck! The mid-tempo title track has a groovy beat. One of my favourites is "Singled Out and Strangely Left in Limbo" that has some beautiful synth leads and a bit trip hop like beat. "Blood One" is the longest track at over ten minutes. It's a quite slow one, soulfull sax by Lee. "Save Your Breath" is a short ambient pice with the other guest Calli on vocals. Pretty! "Peyote Sunrise" starts of with trippy Shane section and grows slowly. Nice sax again, and cello. A very wonderful soft ending for yet another great Sendelica album!

www.facebook.com/people/Sendelica/100063315062559/ 

 

Quasars of Destiny - Music to Listen to While Eating Planets

 Self-released (QOD001)

Quasars of Destiny is a new duo project of Scott Heller aka Dr Space (ØSC etc.) with his cousin Craig Wall. I've known Scott since 1998 but have never heard of Craig, but I'm glad they joined forces for this one! While Dr Space plays synths and keyboards Craig proves out to be a great guitarist and drummer. He also plays the bass and some Rhodes piano. The album was improvised and rcorded in five days at Scott's studio in Portugal while Craig was visiting.

There are just three instrumental tracks, "Colossus Approacheth" (6:17), "Colossus Consumes" (32:18) and "Colossus Seeks a New Planet" (6:14). The whole album has a sort of early to mid 70s Pink Floyd feel which is very cool. Things do get heavier and more psychedelic at times, though. I must say I really enjoy this album and it is a bit different to many of the other projects and bands Dr Space is in, but also a lot similar in that it is mostly improvised jamming. Very cool stuff and I do hope they will make another album sometime!

drspace1.bandcamp.com 

 

More Experience - Horizons of Events

 Old Hippie (XII MMXXIV)

Horizons of Events is the fifth album by Polish psych rock group More Experience and a great continuation to the psychedelic journey of the previous album I reviewed over here. Like before, the band pours out wonderful late 60s/early 70s psych/prog/folk vibes and really shines.

So the story started on the 2022 album Electric Laboratory of High Space Experience continues with four new tracks. "Deep Cosmic Kisses" is a 14:30 long trip with tablas, sitars, backwards guitars, drums, bass, synths, pretty cosmic vocals etc., everything you could ask for a very nice oldies style psych trip. Amazing! "Death" starts peacefully with bird-song and acoustic guitar & bells, and slowly builds up with organ etc. I'm loving the soft,  effected vocals too! 1969 era Pink Floyd vibes. On "Wait a Moment" the dreamy, hippie and peaceful vibe continues with some cool Fender Rhodes sounds and the the jazzy beat and bass joins in with some sitar and bluesy vocals. This one has a very jazzy, lazy mood for sure. It is the longest track at 14:50 and the hypnotic, extended jamming takes you out there... Some King Crimson vibes in there as well, and a killer fuzz guitar solo, among other cooliness. They must have been listening to some John Coltrane as well. Love Supreme at least. Wonderful! The last track "Lunatic Space Diary" is a bit more progressive in nature and very good too. Vocoder is added to the arsenal at one point. Apparently the 2LP version also has an additional fifth track but I have not yet been able to find copies... But this very cool CD version is available at several places and comes much recommended.

www.facebook.com/more.experience.music

 

Chakra Vimana - Feed My Soul limited LP/CD/digital download out now!

 

Today it is the official release date of our psychedelic, spacey and atmospheric prog rock project debut:

Chakra Vimana - Feed My Soul (Tonzonen Records TON177)!

The beautiful coloured vinyl is limited to 300 copies and comes with a download code. The CD is also limited to 300, comes in amazing digipack and has a bonus track (also available on digital download).

Chakra Vimana’s album is the debut collaboration of spoken word artist Shane Beck known as The Last American Poet from Astral Magic, Talking Clouds, Language of The Moon & more, Mark Cook from Herd of Instinct, Liquid Sound Company, The Forever Moment & more, Santtu Laakso from Dark Sun & Astral Magic.These three create a sound that delves deeply into different forms of space and prog rock with heavy influences of Porcupine Tree, Nik Turner, King Crimson, Bill Laswell, and Tangerine Dream.

You can order copies directly from the label in Germany:

www.tonzonen.de/shop 

If you are in the US/Canada/Mexico:

chakravimana.bandcamp.com/album/feed-my-soul-3 

 herdofinstinct.bandcamp.com/album/feed-my-soul

EU/UK orders from the Astral Magic Bandcamp page:

 astralmagic.bandcamp.com/album/feed-my-soul

 Plus of course from all psych mail-order companies who know their business.

Check out the YouTube videos my Mark Cook:

 

Doctors of Space - Fusing Your Synapses

 Doctors of Space Music (DOS-009)

Doctors of Space are Scott "Dr Space" Heller (synths, keyboards) and Martin Weaver (guitar, bass, drum machines and synths). Unlike some of their other albums, this was formed putting together older tracks along the years from 2022 to 2024 rather than being the fruit of one or two studio sessions. I think it's a good thing because we get more variety. It's a real pleasure to hear Martin play some killer guitar which is something he apparently can't do much nowadays due to his arthritis.

We have eight, instrumental tracks in about 70 minutes. Things start with the minimal four-minute synthesizer piece "Intro". The title track "Fusing Your Synapses" has a steady drum machine beat but is rather experimental in other ways with tons of electronic noises. No guitar nor much melody here yet. The pretty dark and slow "Doomstar" is the longest track at almost 16 minutes. It also has guitar, quite heavy. Then we get some more electronic, hypnotic and trancey stuff ("Down the Ferret Hole You Go"). A very ominous vibe, somehow. "No More Bombs (Only Bongs!)" has bass and a bit more chilled out atmosphere, although it also is slow and sort of heavy when the guitar joins in. Nice name, as well! "Pinned Codes" is more synthesizer-based again. Later on it also has some lead guitar and then bass. "Chicken Shit Burger Boy" wins the funniest title competition... Another long piece, has an up-beat drum machine as well making it closer to space rock. I'd say this is my favourite with some soaring lead guitar. The album ends with the spacey, two-minute synth piece "Outro". 

The official release date is May the 5th but the album is already available on the band's Bandcamp site. I guess it's limited to 50 or 100 copies, so hurry up!

doctorsofspace.bandcamp.com/music 

 

Øresund Space Collective - Espaço 2

 Øresund Space Collective (OSC2025-LS022)

 

Like the Pink Floyd-isnpired Espaço CD the band released last year, Espaço 2 is a Bandcamp subscriber album recorded by the group in 2023 at Dr. Space's studios in Portugal. The line-up is:

KG Westman - sitar

Mattias Olsson - drums

Hasse Horrigmoe - bass

Jonathan Segel - guitar, violin

Luis - guitar, gong, noise box

Larry - rhodes

Dr. Space - synthesizers, mellotron etc.

 The CD starts off with the rather special, sitar-lead 30-minute experimental track "Wholetone Breakfast Circle". It has an unique, tranquil but weird vibe to it, but still being spacey in the OSC style. It's a very ambient, floating thing without any definitive drum beats. Strange stuff! After that, we've got two shorter pieces. Well, if you can call the 12-minute "The Darkness Beyond the Mind's Eye" shorter... But shorter in OSC terms, anyway. This is even more minimal and hypnotic stuff. I can't hear any drums, and same with the even more minimal/monotonic ambient piece "Espaco Para Você" that lasts "only" little over five minutes. If you prefer the more rocking OSC stuff this might not be for you, but those who enjoy the weird and dreamy stuff should definitely try to score a copy. I guess the extra copies will be on sale on the band's Bandcamp site in a few months, so keep on eye out!

 The band is celebrating their 20th birthday in Copenhagen next week, go there if you can! Should be a lot of fun.

oresundspacecollective.bandcamp.com 

Astral Magic news: new album coming up!

I have just received some lead guitar and violin tracks for the new album from my trusty collaborator Jonathan Segel. I will try to mix "In Space We Trust" by the end of the week and send the stuff back to Jonathan for mastering.

The plan is to release it on the next Bandcamp Friday, 2nd of May. Since hardly anybody seems to buy albums anymore, this will only be a limited, factory-made CD-R release of 50 copies. But it will be great stuff, I tell you!

 I might release an (amateur...) video before the release date.

Tracks on the 42-minute album are:

 

In Space We Trust

Anti-gravity

Martian Archives

Light-years Apart

Ancient Pilots

Alien Emperor

Stasis

Deep-frozen